ELIJAH – DELIVERER OF JUDGMENT

ELIJAH – DELIVERER OF JUDGMENT

MEMORY VERSE: “When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly” (1Kings 21:27, NIV).

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Ahab conspired with his wife, Jezebel, to murder an innocent man merely to acquire a vineyard. At first the king tried to get Naboth’s vineyard by buying it, but Naboth knew it would be wrong to give up land that was part of the family inheritance. According to God’s law it could not pass from the family permanently.

The king of Israel was not above the law of Moses. When Naboth refused to give up his land, even the king could not ignore the demands of justice, and Ahab went to his home and sulked. But Jezebel told her husband to assert his rights as the king.

Bribes purchased the testimony of two false accusers, who said Naboth cursed God and the king, a crime that bore the death penalty in ancient Israel. With Naboth dead, Ahab took possession of the vineyard – an act of grave injustice that the Lord would not ignore.

At the Lord’s command Elijah confronted Ahab and delivered a stinging prophecy of judgment against the descendants of Ahab and against Jezebel. Ahab could have seized Elijah and thrown him into prison. Instead, the king humbled himself before the Lord by tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and fasting. Each of these actions was an outward sign of mourning. In this case the king mourned because he recognized he had sinned before God.

Unfortunately, Ahab’s change of heart was short-lived. Only a few years later he reverted to his habit of refusing to listen to a prophet of God. Yet for at least a short while he humbled himself before the Lord and temporarily averted a disastrous judgment. And Elijah learned that the Lord was very much in the business of changing hearts of people through the inner persuasion of the Holy Spirit.

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